Lucy Barbour

Lucy is a federal political reporter covering television, radio and digital for ABC News at Parliament House, in Canberra. She has also worked for the ABC's flagship radio current affairs programs AM, The World Today and PM. Lucy was previously the ABC's regional affairs reporter at Parliament House and filed to programs including Landline, 7pm and 7.30. She began her career as a rural reporter and worked in Hobart, Horsham, Shepparton and Mildura. Follow her on twitter @lucybarbour

Having retained all 16 of their seats, welcomed a record number of women to the party and consolidated under leader Michael McCormack, there could be a renewed sense of stability for the country-based party.

The Nationals are hoping to cling on to their seats, including a few held on very slim margins, and add to their tally by winning a three-cornered contest. But the country-based party has problems, and some say they're at risk of losing a handful of seats.

Malcolm Turnbull's Q&A appearance reignites tensions within the Liberal Party, with frontbencher Christopher Pyne declaring Cabinet colleagues "have to be responsible" for their actions in ousting the former prime minister.

The former head of the Australian Crime Commission will investigate allegations that staff in the federal Department of Agriculture were told to keep quiet over their concerns about the live animal export trade.

Former ABC chairman Justin Milne may have fallen on his sword, but calls for a Senate inquiry on political interference into Aunty's editorial independence continue. This is what that might look like if it does happen.

It took months after Georgina Fitz-Gibbon's husband Jeff died before she recognised she was fast slipping into a state of depression. She's one of many elderly Australians learning to deal with loneliness.

Some women within the Liberal Party dismiss suggestions the party has a culture of bullying and intimidation, after MP Julia Banks announces she will quit politics because of the behaviour demonstrated by her colleagues.

James McGrath becomes the third minister to quit the Turnbull ministry after voting for Peter Dutton in Tuesday's leadership tilt. It comes as a letter requesting another party room meeting circulates among Liberal MPs, gaining three signatures so far.

A live sheep trade company which had its license suspended last month after more than 2,000 sheep died from heat stress on board one of their ships is trying to resume exporting through a subsidiary firm.

The Nationals find themselves embroiled in another pivotal energy debate involving Malcom Turnbull and Tony Abbott — but this time it's about reducing power bills, not winning leadership, writes Lucy Barbour.

After another record month of rooftop solar installations, renewable energy should supply a third of the national electricity market's need by 2020 and 40 per cent by 2030 according to new research from Green Energy Markets.

Some would have rolled their eyes as Malcolm Turnbull squatted to inspect dry earth on his drought tour this week, but advocates are quietly buoyed that his approach was more about listening and learning, writes Lucy Barbour.

Former Devonport mayor Steve Martin boosts the Government's Senate numbers by joining the Nationals, after he became an independent when he was dumped by Jacqui Lambie after he refused to stand aside to allow her return to Parliament.

An "urgency motion" to be debated at this weekend's Victorian ALP conference will push for an end to offshore processing and to bring refugees and asylum seekers on Manus Island and Nauru to Australia.

Australians who do not want their medical records stored on a national electronic database will have a three-month window to opt out of the scheme later this year, the Australian Digital Health Agency announces.